Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s bid to secure Linda Mwananchi as a political identity ahead of the 2027 elections is set to be determined by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal today, with five key questions at the centre of the judgment.
The Tribunal is expected to decide whether the Registrar of Political Parties lawfully rejected the proposed name while allowing Liberty National Democratic Alliance, known as LINDA, to pursue its registration.
The five-member panel, chaired by GAD Gathu Kiragu, concluded hearing the appeal on September 14 after arguments from promoters of Linda Mwananchi Movement, the Registrar of Political Parties and Liberty National Democratic Alliance, known as LINDA.
The legal dispute is centred on the Registrar’s refusal to reserve Linda Mwananchi after an earlier rejection citing “public interest” and a later letter referring to LINDA’s name and abbreviation.
At issue are the validity of LINDA’s name reservation, the 90-day period for moving from reservation to provisional registration, the risk of voter confusion and the Registrar’s reasons for rejecting Mr Sifuna’s team for registration of Linda Mwananchi.
The appeal was filed by Suba South MP Michael Caroli Omondi, former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo and political activist Pauline Njoki Njoroge. This was after the registrar declined registration of Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) party.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi at Bunge Tower in Nairobi on March 24, 2026.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
Among key questions the Tribunal will decide is whether LINDA’s reservation and application for provisional registration were made within statutory timelines and what effect that had on the name.
Registrar’s lawyer said LINDA’s name was allowed for reservation by a letter dated November 15, 2024. The advocate maintained that the group had submitted its provisional-registration application in February 2026 within the applicable 90-day period.
The Tribunal questioned that position and asked for the actual application, which the lawyer acknowledged had not been attached to the Registrar’s record.
Appellants’ lawyer said there was no provision allowing an extension. “There is no room to extend the 90 days,” he told the panel.
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The Registrar countered that parties commonly submit provisional-registration applications within 90 days and may correct or resubmit documents where requirements have not been met.
The second question is whether LINDA, which the appellants say was neither fully nor provisionally registered, could rely on statutory protection against a competing name.
The appellants’ lawyer referred to lists of fully and provisionally registered parties. He said LINDA did not appear in either list.
“If you wanted to determine whether the interested party (LINDA) is a provisionally registered party, you should find it in that list. If it is a fully registered party, you should find it in that list,” submitted appellants’ advocates Tony Moses Odera and Victor Olao. “It is not there, then we know it is not registered,” they added.
The Registrar’s position was that proposed names must be examined before full registration to prevent similar parties from building structures before rejection.
The third question concerns “public interest” and whether the Registrar could reject Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi at the reservation stage because of possible voter confusion.
The Registrar’s lawyer said that the Registrar, as custodian of the political parties register, must prevent names and abbreviations likely to confuse a reasonable voter or member of the public.
The Tribunal heard that the full names were different, but “Linda” in Linda Mwananchi Movement was similar to LINDA, the abbreviation used by Liberty National Democratic Alliance.
The fourth question is whether the two identities –LINDA and Linda Mwananchi Movement- are sufficiently similar to cause confusion.
The appellants argued that Linda Mwananchi Movement is abbreviated as LMM, while Liberty National Democratic Alliance is abbreviated as LINDA or LNDA.
“They don't sound the same. They are not spelt the same. They don't have the same abbreviations,” the appellants’ advocates told the Tribunal.
Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
LINDA’s lawyer maintained that the name and abbreviation were protected and that confusion could arise during elections. The lawyer described Linda as a brand name rather than a generic word.
The fifth question concerns the Registrar’s reasons and whether the August 7 decision accurately reflected the legal basis for rejecting Linda Mwananchi.
The appellants said the June 11, 2026 rejection stated: “The names have been considered and have been rejected due to public interest. Hence, against Section 8 of the Political Parties Act.”
They argued that a subsequent letter dated August 7 omitted words referring to a registered or provisionally registered political party, creating a misleading impression about LINDA’s status.
“If you look at that letter at face value, then it becomes misleading,” said the appellants.
For its part, LINDA disputed that position and argued that Sections 4B and 8 of the Act should be read together. It said the Registrar could protect a reserved name while registration continued.
The Tribunal also asked whether an application made within 90 days could remain under consideration for years. The Registrar said administrative practice allowed continued engagement through an election cycle.
The panel will also consider the appellants’ argument that earlier applicants failed to appeal within 30 days. They said those decisions could not deny an appeal in law.
The Tribunal had earlier allowed LINDA’s reservation and registration process to continue while restraining the Registrar from processing another Linda Mwananchi variation pending the appeal.
